


In Your Arms

by Auggusst



Series: The Soldier And The Scientist [16]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nausea, Protective Steve Rogers, Rainy Days, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27746143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst
Summary: A migraine strikes Tony on his way to a morning meeting, and Steve spends the day at his side trying to comfort him. Tony hates high pain days, but really, really loves his boyfriend.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: The Soldier And The Scientist [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/468745
Comments: 39
Kudos: 170





	In Your Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Something kind of small spurred on by the massive headache I got at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday which still hasn't gone away! Was having a decent time too until one too many dog barks really kicked everything off. Unfortunate. 
> 
> My writing pace is a lot slower and will be the next few months because my favorite fandoms actually have new content so I don't have to rely on myself for entertainment anymore! Hopefully you'll still enjoy my fics even if they're less numerous.

Tony thought his head was gonna explode.

His ears were ringing, and the dull but impossibly strong throbbing in his skull, directly above his left eye was going to drive him to madness, he was sure.

He wasn’t a stranger to headaches. He’d had them most of his life, and a lot of them, but it wasn’t until he got a little older that those annoying little headaches turned into migraines. The migraines didn’t happen too often, maybe one out of every fifteen headaches, but were bad enough to put him out for the count, despite the preventative medication he took. As if his body didn’t punish him enough on the daily.

Ugh, it just hurt. The steady, painful pulse made it difficult to even sit up, and didn’t abate when he was laying down. It made him want to tear his eye out, or to beat some sense into his head, made him wish he could knock himself out so he wouldn’t have to suffer through the sensation.

He’d been halfway to a meeting at SI when it set in this time, and though he knew Pepper would be irritated that he had to skip, he wouldn’t be much help doubled over the conference table with the heel of his palm pressed against his eye socket. Happy had turned around to take him back to the Tower while the scientist sank further and further into the back seat, his jaw clenched and brows knit, the pain steadily rising.

The weather today didn’t exactly help him either. It was rainy today, with the threat of a storm on the horizon, and that _always_ wreaked havoc on his body. The change in air pressure made his bones ache, made him irritated and uncomfortable, and made it harder to think. Tony _hated_ rain, and snow, because of it.

By the time he made it up to the penthouse, he was feeling a little nauseous, but JARVIS had informed Steve of the situation, and Steve put aside writing up their latest mission reports in favor of guiding Tony to the bedroom, helping him out of his suit and into bed.

He looked miserable, honestly. His face was a little pale, his eyes a little glazed. Steve didn’t need any convincing when Tony grabbed his hand to lay down with him in bed. The brunet wasn’t always good at expressing what he needed, often denied himself of proper help, but once in a while he had the courage to ask for what he needed, and right now, he needed Steve.

The windows were dimmed, not entirely darkened because the rainy weather made it darker than usual already, and Tony’s face was turned away from them, tucked instead against the blessed shadow of Steve’s chest.

He felt sick. He felt _so_ sick. Steve had gotten up a little while ago to resupply him on medicine, brought along a water bottle and a bucket just in case. It wouldn’t be the first time Tony had vomited from the pain. He couldn’t keep his eyes open at this point. Every time he did, even for a few seconds, swirling white stars danced across his vision, and he felt dizzy.

It was quiet, thankfully, except for the pattering of raindrops on the windows, and Steve’s steady breathing above him.

Steve never had a problem being quiet. He was a fan of plenty of quiet activities, liked moments where nothing was going on and everything was easy and calm. He also, unlike Tony, happened to like rain, and thunderstorms. There was something about the low rumble of thunder, the splashing of raindrops against the windows that soothed him.

Thunder could be scary in its own right, but it was something natural, a natural sound, unlike the boom of a cannon or the whistle of a mortar shell. Steve didn’t mind thunder, and he didn’t mind the sound of rain. It’d be perfect, honestly, good weather for relaxing, on a day with no missions and meetings for himself, if he didn’t know how it made Tony feel, how extreme weather took a toll on his body.

It really wasn’t fair that he got double whammied today, especially when he had so many things planned. Steve hadn’t planned on seeing him until dinnertime. His SI meeting was supposed to be a long one, and he planned on running diagnostics on the Quinjet, and doing some repairs on a lot of their gear. All of that would have to wait now, which Steve knew was frustrating the brunet to no end, on top of his pain. The scientist hated leaving tasks unfinished.

Tony’s breathing was a little harsh now, shallow puffs of air which told Steve he was desperately trying to keep it together. He hadn’t said anything in at least half an hour, not since he’d taken more medicine, but it was clear he wasn’t feeling any better, and he couldn’t get to sleep either. He was curled up tight at this point, clearly uncomfortable, and it made Steve’s heart clench in sympathy.

“Relax, sweetheart,” the soldier whispered as low as he could, gently rubbed his back.

He hated seeing Tony like this. He wished he could help somehow, beyond laying here with him. He wished he could take Tony’s pain away, take that burden and plenty of others from him.

Tony couldn’t relax though. His head was pounding, his bones aching, and the meager breakfast he’d had felt like it was halfway to coming back up. He was familiar enough with vomiting that he’d learned to postpone it, to sometimes even prevent it from happening at all, but something told him he was delaying the inevitable today. 

The brunet shook his heads at Steve’s words, which was a mistake, sent a sharp burst of pain through him. “Can’t,” he hissed, voice a little hoarse, and he curled up a little tighter. “Fuck, it hurts…”

“I know,” Steve replied, gently brushed a hand through his hair. “It’ll go away soon, I promise.”

Tony made a little noise in reply. He really hoped Steve was right. His migraines only lasted a few hours usually, but they were so much worse than his long-lasting regular headaches. He hated them, a lot, and wished he could make them go away at whim. He also hated the time he was losing like this, being idle, being _forced_ to remain idle.

When Tony wasn’t being productive, in any fashion, it pissed him off, made him feel like a failure, and Steve knew it. Tony had said so much before, and the blond had argued that there was nothing wrong with taking time for himself, that he _deserved_ to take time for himself, but once in a while the message needed reiterating.

Steve must have sensed that it needed as much now, because he pressed a gentle kiss to Tony’s forehead. “Don’t worry about anything right now,” he muttered. “Just rest up.”

“So much to do,” the scientist protested, and let out a sigh. His mouth watered a little, and he tried to will a gag away. “I really need—I need—“ he’d obviously said too much though, his body decided, because the nausea warning bell went off, and he had to immediately peel himself out of Steve’s grasp, lean over the side of the bed, and reach for the bucket.

He promptly expelled the contents of his stomach, gagging and retching, his shoulders heaving with the intensity of it all. His hands were tight around the bucket and his head was still throbbing, and his eyes were squeezed shut as he threw up. It didn’t last that long, but it was long enough for tears to form in his eyes from the pressure, and for his throat to feel raw from the acid.

So much for keeping it under control.

Tony hated throwing up. He especially hated it when there was someone else in the room. It made him feel embarrassed, even though he had no control over it. It wasn’t the first time Steve had seen him throw up though, and Tony had seen him do so before too, so there really was no reason to feel shitty about it, but Tony managed somehow. It was the last straw, honestly.

Tony let out a little sob, overwhelmed suddenly, his breathing shaky. He hated this. He hated it so fucking much.

Steve’s hands wrapped around his own then though, warm, kind, and pulled the bucket away and set it down on the floor. “You’re okay,” he said. “It’s okay.”

“’M not,” Tony replied, reaching for his water bottle. He really should go and brush his teeth, but didn’t have the energy for it at the moment. Instead he took a couple swigs of water, spit them out in the bucket. “God, I’m so fucking miserable…”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Steve said. He brushed Tony’s hair back from his forehead. “Lay down again, I’ll get you a warm wash cloth. Maybe that’ll help a bit.”

He knew that heat tended to work better for pain relief for Tony than cold did. It’d soothed him before in the past, so hopefully it would do the same now.

Tony did as told for once. He took a proper drink of water, coughed a little at the tenderness in his throat, and practically collapsed against the bed again. He waited, eyes shut tight, for Steve to return. The wash cloth did help a bit, thankfully. Steve also took the time to clean out the bucket in the shower and brought it back just in case, though hopefully it wouldn’t be needed again.

Tony slung it over his eyes and forehead, let the heat dull the sensation of pain. Steve curled an arm over his midsection then, tugged him close again. The nausea had abated a little. Tony didn’t think he’d throw up again, which he was very thankful for, even if his throat was raw now and his skin no doubt blotchy. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d vomited so hard that the capillaries in his face broke.

At least he could breathe a little easier now. The rain had lightened a little too, the raindrops growing quieter, which was a blessing.

Steve, as always, remained the best blessing. The fact that he was spending his day laying here keeping Tony company when he could be doing literally anything else meant a lot. It’d been over a month since Tony’s last migraine, since he needed company like this, but he still felt like a nuisance. Steve obviously didn’t think so though.

Still.

“You don’t have to stay anymore if you don’t want to,” Tony offered, though he secretly hoped Steve would stay. “I’ll be okay now I think…”

“I’m staying right here,” Steve replied, knowing exactly what he was getting at, and he dropped a kiss on his shoulder.

“…Thank you,” Tony whispered, and he meant it.

“Don’t mention it,” the soldier insisted.

It was no problem being here, comforting Tony. Hell, Steve had been through a lot of ups and downs the last few months himself, and without Tony’s support, he would still be in a bad place mentally. He was stressed of course, as was the usual for all of them, but he could be doing a lot worse. If he could repay Tony for his love by simply laying with him today, he would.

Tony took his words to heart. He took a deep breath, tried to get more comfortable, tried to forget about the ceaseless pain rattling around in his head. It wasn’t easy, by any means, but knowing that he had Steve here with him made it a fraction easier to bear.

Two or so hours later, the pain finally started to recede to a manageable level, and though the team had plans to eat dinner together today, Natasha was kind enough to bring Steve and Tony’s takeout order to them so they could eat alone. The team had lived together long enough now to know each other’s ailments, each other’s routines, and each other’s limits. Tony appreciated that. Despite the occasional arguments, or how he sometimes managed to feel isolated, or left out, he loved moments like this where it was clear that his teammates did care, at least a little.

He could only eat a bit of his Chinese food, because the motion of chewing only irritated his migraine some more, but he powered through enough to feel full, and eventually, _finally_ was able to get a nap in. He may have fucked up his sleeping pattern a little tonight, but that was okay. It was worth it for getting actual rest, for a relief from the pain for a little while.

That evening, he managed to read over the briefing of the meeting he’d missed that Pepper was kind enough to send him, gave her a proper response, and altered his checklist for tomorrow. He couldn’t do much more than that, really. He was always exhausted after a day like this, but catching up on sleep probably wasn’t a bad thing.

By the time he was properly ready to go to bed though, it was late, and Steve was already asleep at his side, breathing deeply and at peace. A surge of love bloomed in Tony’s heart at the sight, squeezed it tight. He never thought he’d have Steve in his life like this, like he had for a few months now.

_‘I’d die for him,’_ he thought suddenly, and maybe it was dramatic, but it was the truth.

Tony leaned over Steve a little, took in the calm, content, blissfully unaware expression on his face, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you,” he whispered, with as much earnest tenderness as he could muster.

His body may have been an asshole, but he’d been lucky in this aspect; lucky to have Steve Rogers as his boyfriend, as his partner, in all things. Steve gave him the strength he needed to overcome his challenges, reminded him that he _could_ , and maybe the occasional migraine was worth that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it. My motivation has been pretty low lately so comments always help it go back up.


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